


Once Upon a Time...

by celeste9



Category: Primeval
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, F/M, First Meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 03:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1154553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People have been claiming to see dragons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon a Time...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clea2011](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clea2011/gifts).



> Extremely belated birthday fic for clea2011! This wasn't meant to be her fic, but the one that is still isn't finished, and she did provide the inspiration for this one! I hope you like it, though it went off in a bit of a different direction. Maybe your original fic will be ready for this year's birthday, haha. For 'dragons' on my Primeval Denial bingo card and 'au: fantasy' on my Trope Bingo card (free space), and with thanks to deinonychus_1for the speedy beta!

In an old wooden house on the outskirts of a small village lived a young man. He spent his days working as a stablehand and doing other odd jobs to put food on his table. It was a simple life, but he was a simple man.

If there was anything missing in the man’s life, it was companionship. Though he would never admit it, he was perhaps a little lonely. He had never made friends easily and the other villagers generally found him to be stand-offish and a bit arrogant. They felt he thought himself better than them, though his house was no bigger, his clothes no finer, and his earnings no greater. They accused him of putting on airs.

And perhaps he did. His was an old family name, though he was last of the line and the family had fallen on hard times. If the man had once been a boy of means, those days were long past.

-

The man’s name was Becker. In any case, his family name was Becker. His given name was Hilary, though he preferred to ignore that fact. He had been Becker for as long as he was able to talk back.

He had once had dreams of the knighthood, but those days, too, were long past. Though his dreams had fallen hard, he yet remained light and agile on his feet and he was good with his hands. His horsemanship was second to none in the village.

If Becker, from time to time, sat under the stars and dreamed of another life, well… By the light of the sun he was nothing but practical. Dreams, as his father had often told him, would not make his bed.

-

“Have you heard what everyone’s been talking about?” Connor asked, bouncing on his toes as he did when he was overexcited. Which seemed to be most of the time. “Dragons! People have been seeing a dragon!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Becker said, keeping his focus on the saddle he was mending. Connor was always going on about the craziest things. Becker often ignored him, but that never deterred him. He was about the only villager who wasn’t put off by Becker’s attitude.

That used to be annoying. Now Becker half-enjoyed it.

“It’s true! I spoke to someone just yesterday who said they’d heard from an aunt in the south, whose neighbour saw one. Livestock’s gone missing!”

“It’s only stories, Connor. There’s no such thing as dragons.”

Connor, as expected, remained unconvinced. He shaded his eyes and looked to the sky. “I’d love to see a dragon.”

“If you saw a dragon, it would probably be the last thing you saw before it ate you. Or burnt you up.”

“It could be a good dragon,” Connor suggested wistfully. “They could be highly maligned, you know.”

“Of course they could,” Becker said. Maligned or otherwise, he’d believe in dragons when he saw one.

-

Becker had just finished grooming the horses and was exiting the stables when he saw it. It was only a speck against the sky, but it was growing with every second.

A crowd had gathered outside, their attention caught by the same thing. The villagers were muttering, throwing out suggestions as to what it might be.

A bird, most likely. That was Becker’s guess. Everyone got caught up in these grand illusions but the answer was always mundane. The exotic possibilities were only a dream, a way to distract from the dullness of life in the village.

“I hope it’s a dragon,” Connor said.

Becker rolled his eyes.

He continued watching. It was still coming closer, still getting bigger. He’d never seen a bird that big. He’d never seen a bird that -

“Everyone, get inside!” Becker shouted, racing through the village and trying to push people into motion when he had to. “Find shelter! Inside, now, hurry!”

He doubted their houses would offer much protection, but better that than waiting outside to be easy targets.

Becker believed in dragons now.

It rained fire down upon them, setting houses alight. The entire village would burn; they couldn’t even begin to put the flames out fast enough, even if they hadn’t had a dragon to dodge.

“Are you glad you’ve seen a dragon now?” Becker asked Connor harshly, shoving him inside the inn.

Connor’s dark eyes were wide and scared. Becker was almost sorry for his rudeness.

Almost.

The beating of hooves was nearly drowned out by the noise of the villagers’ screams and shouts, by the rampage of the dragon. Becker didn’t notice the knights until they were nearly on top of him.

He didn’t know how they’d known to come to this village, or how they’d managed their miraculous timing, but he wasn’t going to object. He actually wanted to throw himself at one of them and kiss him. Their chainmail glinted in the light just as Becker had imagined when he was a boy.

The knights arranged themselves in loose formations, dodging blasts of flame and the dragon’s claws. The horses, even as well-trained as they must be, were clearly terrified. Many of the knights dismounted before they found themselves thrown off.

There was blood, and the smell of scorched flesh. Becker knew he would never erase it from his memory.

“Get down!”

Before he knew what hit him, Becker found himself bowled over, sprawled on the ground with a chainmail-clad form on top of him. He covered his head as the dragon flew past, scorching the earth only metres away.

His rescuer sprang up to their feet gracefully, bow in hand. They fired off green-fletched arrows in quick succession, and though the arrows hit their mark, they seemed to do little good. The dragon only flew up higher into the sky, as though to regroup.

“Are you all right?” A woman’s voice, bright and clear.

Becker gazed at the vision before him. He remembered his mother, long ago, telling him stories of elves and fairies. Surely even they could not have been as beautiful as this.

Strands of the woman’s hair fell loosely around her face and seemed to shine where the light touched. Her eyes were large and wonderfully blue, full of light and expression. There was dirt smudged on the pale skin of her cheek. A sword was sheathed at her hip, appearing light and skillfully made to fit her small hand. She was tiny but she stood with confidence and boldness, a strength that couldn’t be denied.

“Are you all right?” she asked again, her eyebrows creasing in worry. She bent down to offer Becker her hand. “You’d better get inside, perhaps you’re concussed.”

“No, I’m fine,” Becker said, scrambling to his feet. “I’m Becker.”

“Pleasure,” she said, though her gaze kept darting away from him and towards the dragon in the distance, towards the other knights. “I’m--”

“Brilliant,” Becker said, then pinched himself. Oh, God, he was an idiot.

But the woman was grinning. “Well, I’m Jess, but ‘brilliant’ works, too. Excuse me for a moment,” she said, running off to where a tall blond in mail was shouting orders. 

Becker watched as they formed a line against the oncoming swooping dive of the dragon. Brave fools, the lot of them. His heart was lurching for Jess.

What he had failed to notice was that they had mages with them. The dragon breathed fire and it seemed to hit an invisible wall, wreathing the dragon itself in flames. It roared in fury, beating its wings. It dived again, but the knights fired off volleys of arrows at it, not enough to take it down, not with its thick hide, but enough to irritate it.

It circled them, hissing, and then seemed to decide the little village wasn’t worth this much effort, not this time, at least. It turned and flew off, growing smaller in the distance.

Becker leaned against the wall of the closest intact building, catching his breath. He felt like he’d forgotten to breathe for a while there. He wondered how long the mages would have been able to keep up their protection magic, if the dragon hadn’t left.

The fires were still burning but the knights helped the villagers to put them out as best they could, the mages supplementing their efforts with water spells. The damage was great but it could have been far, far worse. They would rebuild.

Jess returned to Becker, brushing her hair back from her face. Not even the soot could dull her. “It will return, you know, unless it’s stopped. Now, please, go inside where it’s safe. There’s nothing more to be done.”

“And where will you go?”

“After the dragon.”

“But you--”

Jess’ eyes narrowed in the manner of a woman long used to being challenged, to being told what she could and could not do. “I think you’ll find me quite capable.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Becker said, wanting to touch her but not daring to. “I only meant, that’s a _dragon._ I wouldn’t want you to-- to be hurt fighting for us.”

Her expression softening a little, Jess said, “That’s what I do, Becker.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“And do what?”

“I think you’ll find me quite capable,” Becker answered, throwing Jess’ words back in her face. He didn’t care for being underestimated, either.

Jess remained doubtful, but there was something in her face that made Becker sure she believed him. She must feel the pull between them, the same as he did. “It will be dangerous.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“No? Well, I am. I was so terrified I thought I might piss myself for a moment back there.”

Becker broke into a surprised laugh.

Jess had a beautiful smile. “Sorry, was that horribly crude? The boys have been a bad influence on me. But honestly, Becker, think about what you’re suggesting. This isn’t a game. You aren’t trained.”

“I’m a fast learner. I know how to defend myself.”

Hesitating for a moment longer, Jess searched Becker’s face. Then she lifted her hands up and let them fall. “It’s your choice. It’s your village; I can certainly understand your desire. Come on, then, I’ll plead your case to Sir Tom.”

“And then?”

Jess smiled that glorious smile at him again, that smile Becker was absolutely sure he wanted to see every day for the rest of his life. “And then we slay ourselves a dragon.”

**_End_ **


End file.
